The Virtual Wedding World

Jess gives you the scoop on helpful wedding websites and blogs.

By: Jessica Solloway

It's really amazing what you can learn about weddings by surfing the internet. What did people do like 10 years ago when they had to depend on a mere stack of magazines? Or in the 70's? That explains why so many grooms wore brown velvet suits (sorry dad). These days, brides (myself included) find themselves glued to the computer for hours jumping from site to site for advice, inspiration and ideas. So, I figured I would share some of the great wedding websites and blogs I've discovered that could hopefully help you too.

Of course there are the obvious ones, The Knot and the Wedding Channel which are great for flustered brides that need help staying on schedule. They have tons of tips and advice that keeps your planning on track, plus thousands of images for inspiration in their photo galleries. Be warned, you WILL get emails on a daily basis reminding you of what you need to do and how many days are left before the BIG day! I usually panic and promptly delete.

And then there are tons of fabulous blogs updated daily that are bursting with wedding eye candy. My absolute fave is Style Me Pretty. This blog features photos from real weddings and every picture is more gorgeous than the next. For me it's helped so much to look at other people's weddings to get ideas for my own. Just seeing one type of flower in a centerpiece, a candle holder, or bouquet could give you enough inspiration for your entire "vision". Be warned: one day when I was bored, I think I looked at about 90 previous entries of people's weddings on this site. It's totally addicting. I'm not proud.

Another great site is called Once Wed. It started as a place to sell your used wedding dress online and now includes everything from DIY projects to real wedding picture galleries. Something Old, Something New
is another blog I recently discovered that I love. From funky bridesmaids dresses to feathered bridal accessories ... I could click around forever! Inspiration overload much? And We Met in a Bar ... super cute as well.

A good tip - when you're on a blog, look on their blog roll to see links to related blogs that they love. (as if you need even more distractions at work). For example, just now I stumbled upon one called I Heart Peonies. Me too! If only they were in season for my wedding...

I think I'm going to spiral into a depression when my wedding is over and I have no excuse to look at these every day.

On another note, here's a little wedding update. I am heading to Cleveland on Wednesday for one of my best friend's weddings (I wrote about her bachelorette bonanza here). And check out the bridesmaid's
dresses we're wearing. Lela Rose is a great place to look if you're in the market. Seth and I have appointments practically the whole time we are home (so much for a relaxing vaca!). But that's good because we have so much to do! We are meeting with the band, the florist to finalize the proposal, finding a place for our rehearsal dinner, and
picking out invitations (this has to happen because we are cutting it close!).

Less than four months to go! Wowsa!

PS - I cannot lift my arms above my head. My training session from a few days ago really kicked my butt. Will the pain ever go away???